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Thursday, July 31, 2014

Poshe Fast Drying Basecoat Review

I layered about three different glitters over yesterday's mani to make this black on silver glitter bomb, and show you the smoothing effects of this basecoat. There are six coats of nail polish in total. If you have read my blog for a while, you know that I love to layer, and this would not be possible without a little bit of help from Poshe.

I'm holding a big 2 oz bottle because this is what I would recommend, if you decide to get it. Instead of thinning my existing 0.5 oz bottle with thinner, I keep adding more basecoat to it, when I see about 1/4 inch gap. The reason being that, I don't want to dilute the *for lack of a better word* gel quality that it has. This is what makes the glitter surfaces smooth, and what quenches 'thirsty' glitters and shimmers. And speaking of shimmer, this is what I used in most of my Shimmer swatches last year, to make the glitters seem smooth and not gritty, before taking pics. And speaking of gel, this works as well as Dior Gel Coat, but the price tag is better, and it will never shrink. I've had to remove full manis before, because the Dior was not compatible with one or more of the nail polishes that I used for a glitter bomb. Most of the times, it is not compatible with my topcoats either, so I have to be careful, and I use it sparingly. This never happens with Poshe.

Poshe is 3 Free and has less toxic ingredients than the Lynnderella Glitter Tamer, which can also get really thick, and make your nails look fake. I'm not sure how to make this review short, since I know so much about this basecoat. I have probably been using it for over four years. So grab a cup of joe, and sit back, because this will be lengthy. It does dry fast, as it is stated in the name, but you will always need to add Fast Drying Topcoat on top, for it to fully dry. I have tried all of them, and for glitters, either HK Girl, Deborah Lippmann Addicted to Speed, Poshe, Seche Vite or Sally Hansen Insta-Dry will work well. For non-glitters, anything you add to Poshe will be just fine, and if you cannot find fast-drying topcoat, I suggest drying drops.

I don't wrap my tips with this (meaning, swiping the brush around the edges of the nail), because I find that it gives it a thick 'acrylic nails' look. The good thing is that, this does not shrink at all, and you will never see your tips "worn off" after applying it, which is a big problem I had with NPB Glitter Food, so really, there is no need to wrap them with it (like some people do with Seche). The smell is ok, it can be a bit strong when I'm working on nail art projects and get too close. I love to use different big glitter shapes, such as stars, butterflies or flowers (example) and this is the only thing that covers them nice enough in real life that manis look and feel professional. Because, in pictures, any topcoat would make them seem smooth for a minute, while the picture is being taken, and then what about those pointy edges from the stars when the topcoat fully dries? I know all about those, I used to have that problem until I found Poshe.

Now, on to how do I use it, there are several ways. One of them, is to layer them in between coats to make stand-alone glitters look like they were applied with gel, at a salon. I did that here, although it is hard to tell in pictures, you'll have to trust me on this one. It requires more layers, time and patience, but the results are worth it. I do it for 3-coater microglitters too, all the time. Another way to use it, which is the most common way for me, is to smooth out glitter toppers and flakies. I wait about 5 minutes after application, but if it contains glitter shapes (like hearts, stars, etc), I wait a little bit more, because I want the suspension base where those are floating in, to fully dry underneath them. Troubleshoot: If you find that Poshe has not dried at all or it has peeled off in sheets the next day, it is because you either did not wait long enough to apply it, or because the glitter that you used underneath it, needs some serious thinner. With jellies and crellies that don't seem squishy enough, I also use Poshe. Some shimmers, especially color-shifters dry to a dull finish, and this is perfect to revive them, before adding the final topcoat. Speaking of dull, I don't like Poshe on certain holographics. When I do glitters or stickers over holographics, that's when I use Dior Gel Coat, just in case. Even though it is a bit more expensive, and I have to wait longer for things to dry, I have found that it will never dull holographics. For Poshe it is a hit or a miss, unfortunately. And I don't want to risk it when it's the end of the day and I just did a 25-minute long holo+glitter mani and want to go to bed. That is why I used the Dior here for example, but otherwise for stickers, I always reach for Poshe.

When crackle was big, I also used Poshe to make it look smooth. When I do glitter gradients, I use Poshe. There are many, endless, ways in which I use it, and if you try it (and follow my advice of not adding thinner, unless it is really necessary), you will find that this makes your life so much easier. I get compliments all the time "why are your nails so smooth?", "did you do them yourself?", and "are those gel nails?", and I know that I owe it to Poshe Fast Drying Basecoat. Wow this review took me like an hour to write, I didn't want to leave anything out. That is probably why I never sat down and wrote it, even though I love this basecoat and I use it almost every day. That being said, I have never used it as a basecoat under my nail polish. I use OPI Nail Envy or Chanel Protective Basecoat, because there is nothing in the ingredients here that will qualify as nail care or nail hardening. Well, I hope I covered everything, please leave me your questions in the comment section :)

WOW! This sure is a huge post from you. I have been silent on your blog but since you wrote so much, I thought I should say something in return. I am glad you took the time to post such a detailed review. I will definitely get my hands on this basecoat since the other favourite glitter tamer, gelous, is not available for international purchase :)

Oh wow thanks <3 I alsways welcome comments, even when I don't say much haha I will always try to reply. I forgot to mention gelous. It has been a while since I've used it and I can't seem to remember why I didn't like it. I think it was a better 'thirst quencher" than others, but Poshe still wins in my book.